Geratomro
Geratomro is the designated Mundo Primus of the Gerat System, a populous star system orbiting an orange dwarf star. Geratomro is the third world of the system and the only planet to boast an atmosphere. Geratomro is the only inhabited world of its star system although several lunar colonies have been established on the many moons of Gerat IV and V. Geratomro is a fairly young world, having been discovered only in the 34th Millennium. Since then, Geratomro has developed considerably, but despite its classification as an Industrial World, in truth the planet is more akin to a Civilised World as agricultural plains and untamed nature still dominate much of Geratomro's continental mass. As a modest and almost insignificant planet in an isolated region of Imperial space, Geratomro never drew much attention to itself until the middle of the 41st Millennium. In 397.M41, Geratomro's Planetary Governor, Missrine Huratal I, declared her world's formal secession from the Imperium of Man. This prompted a military response by Imperial authorities. With other worlds within the Agritha Sub-sector on the brink of open revolt, a show of force was necessary to restore the Emperor's rule and no less than three different battlegroups comprising elements of the Astra Militarum, the Adeptus Astartes and even the Titan Legions of the Collegia Titanica were rerouted to Geratomro. The Geratomran Reconquest, as the conflict became known, was a hard-fought campaign which ended with the deposition of Geratomro's former ruler and the return of order. In recognition for the role they played during this campaign, the Paragonian Regiments of the Imperial Guard were granted rights of settlement on the world and have begun shaping Geratomro into a society more akin to their homeworld of Paragon. Some have even begun calling the world "New Paragon," a name that one day may entirely erase Geratomro's former identity. History Geratomro has a complicated history. Much of its earliest records have been lost or destroyed so that even the Historitors of the Historical Revision Units are unable to determine when or by whom Geratomro was first colonised. What is known is that the world somehow slipped through the net of the Emperor's Great Crusade and was not discovered by the various Expeditionary Fleets or Rogue Traders venturing into the void from Terra. Geratomro was subsequently spared the horrors of the Horus Heresy and the hardships of the Great Scouring. First contact with Imperial personnel came in the 33rd or early 34th Millennium when Geratomro was discovered by a merchant vessel commanded by an individual who entered Geratomro's history as Magor, the future founder of Geratomro's ruling dynasty, the House of Magor. Using his superior technology to eliminate all local opposition, Magor established his rule over the world, a position his descendants would fiercely defend. For several Terran centuries, the Imperium continued to ignore Geratomro's existence and the world subsisted and perhaps even prospered under the rule of the line of Magor. This explains the ubiquity of Magor's name in almost all of Geratomro's important locations. When the world came into full contact with the Imperium, the Imperial authorities formally recognised the descendants of Magor as Geratomro's legitimate rulers and elevated the sitting monarch of his line to the rank of Planetary Governor. The line of governors related to Magor would remain unbroken until the death of Dostain Huratal during the Geratomran Reconquest. What truly transpired during this conflict, especially during the final climatic battle for Magor's Seat, has been deliberately suppressed by the Inquisition. In the wake of the Renegade planet's capitulation to the Imperium, Geratomro lost its identity and rights. Its civilian population was rounded up and the all of the able-bodied Geratomrans were condemned to fight in the Penal Legions whilst the vast majority would be shipped off-world to serve as cheap slave labour for more devout Imperial worlds or marked for conversion into Servitors. Rights of settlements were then granted to the troops of the Paragonian Regiments who began to fashion the planet into a facsimile of their homeworld. Notable Events *'The Geratomran Reconquest (394.M41-398.M41)' - Virtually bled dry by the ever-increasing demands of the Departmento Munitorum, Planetary Governatrice Missrine Huratal I chose to refuse to pay the Imperial Tithe and slaughters the Adeptus Administratum-delegation sent to bring her to reason. Guided by the Governatrice's own troops, the fanatically loyal Yellow Guard, Geratomro's Planetary Defence Forces unknowingly follow their lord into secession. Within the hour of this most cowardly murder, Imperial strongholds such as Adeptus Arbites precincts were taken by storm or destroyed. The military complements of the initial Tithe Fleet attempted to force a landing near the city of Matua Superior, but were unable to pierce through the city's defences. With several other worlds on the brink of open revolt, the Imperium allotted a considerable amount of troops to crush this latest rebellion. Four standard years after the initial rebellion began, the regiments of the Astra Militarum came back, overrunning the planet's first defences and rapidly advancing on the planetary capital of Magor's Seat. In their desperation, some amongst the Geratomrans turn to the Ruinous Powers, one of them being Heir the Second Dostain Huratal, the second-in-line to the Geratomran throne. Guided along the path of corruption by a Herald of Slaanesh that masqueraded as a harmless creatiure from a local fairy tale, Dostain Huratal murdered his aunt, Missrine Huratal I, and her designated heir before proclaiming himself Planetary Governor. The misguided new ruler of Geratomro openly welcomed a band of Emperor's Children Chaos Space Marines into the fight, delighted that these new allies and their comrades within the Traitor Titan Legions might stop the Imperial advance. However these allies pursued their own agenda, and sought to transform Geratomro into a Daemon World dedicated to the Prince of Pleasure and summon a daemonic legion into the Materium. Horrified by the massacre of his entire court and the civilian population of Magor's Seat, the Renegade Planetay Governor betrayed his allies. His timely change of heart allowed the Black Templars to close the Warp Rift and prevent the daemonic incursion from claiming Geratomro in the name of Chaos. Geography and Culture Notable Locations *'Drava Estuary' - The Drava River is a sizeable body of water that bisects Geratomro's main continent. The river itself is spawned in one of the low hills south of the city of Matua Superior where the plains of the north transition to a landscape of hills and valleys. Within a few kilometres of its source, it is joined by several other rivers which transform the small stream into a large river that winds upon itself before flowing in a general western direction. The lands along the Drava are mostly inhospitable marshlands which harbour a large variety of local wildlife. Given the low technological standards of Geratomro, crossing the river is only possible using the large bridges built by the Imperial authorities. *'Hill Seven-Beta' - Hill Seven-Beta was a fortified strategic position held by the Geratomran rebels' elite troops, the so-called "Yellow Guard," against the advancing Imperial troops. With rocky outcrops at its northern and southern ends, Hill Seven-Beta was a natural strongpoint and was further consolidated by the erection of man-made obstacles and defences such as hardened trenchworks, tank traps, bunkers and pill-boxes. The main strategic asset was the hardened artillery redoubt whose excellent field of fire and range from atop the hill allowed it to fire shells at the only road linking the city of Matua Superior and Highway 4, the main artery to the planetary capital of Magor's Seat. *'Magor's Peak'- Magor's Peak is a small mountain located in the suburbs of the city of Magor's Seat. *'Magor's Seat'- Magor's Seat is Geratomro's largest city and its planetary capital. As the ancestral home of the House of Magor, the city has always been the seat of temporal and spiritual power on the world. As a consequence of its political prominence, Magor's Seat benefited the most from the import of Imperial technology. For instance, it was the sole urban settlement on Geratomro to possess Void Shield protection, even if the protected area mainly encompassed the palace of Geratomro's Planetary Governor and its immediate vicinity. **'Founder's Avenue' - Founder's Avenue was the main road of Magor's Seat which led from the outskirts of the city to Founder's Plaza. This processional avenue was lined with great statues of past Geratomran dignitaries perched atop great marble columns. **'Founder's Plaza' - Founder's Plaza was a great square at the very gates of the Governor's Palace, in the heart of Magor's Seat. Its central fountain before the palace's own great spires made it quite the vista before the square became the location of the Emperor's Children's foul sacrificial ritual. The capital's entire civilian population was sacrificed there to the glory of Slaanesh in an attempt to open a Warp Rift that would spawn hordes of Daemonettes. Founder's Plaza subsequently became the battleground where the Black Templars battled the Emperor's Children to ultimately save Geratomro from becoming a Daemon World. *'Matua Superior' - The city of Matua Superior is home to Geratomro's primary spaceport and was the first urban settlement to have been reclaimed by Imperial forces during the Geratomran Reconquest. A rather unremarkable city, Matua Superior is well-planned and well-defended for a settlement of its size. *'Norta Great Plain' - The Norta Great Plain derives its name from its location, as it encompasses the fertile lands to the north of Magor's Seat and south of the Drava River. Where the plains draw near to the planetary capital they are commonly referred to as Magor's Fields in reference to the founder of the Geratomran ruling dynasty. It is here that the forward elements of the Imperial advance established their main castella for the conquest of the rebellious city and were assailted by the Emperor's Children and their allies among the Traitor Titan Legions. Notable Geratomrans *'Planetary Governatrice Missrine Huratal I' - Missrine Huratal I was the appointed Planetary Governor of Geratomro at the beginning of the Geratomran Reconquest. It was her decision to refuse the demands of the Departmento Munitorum that prompted the Imperial invasion of her world. As the legitimate monarch of Geratomro and direct descendant of the very first planetary ruler, Magor, her motives to rebel might have been noble ones, but she grossly underestimated the Imperium's true strength and determination to maintain the unity of the human sphere. While deemed an efficient planetary ruler, a detailed analysis of her actions in the wake of Geratomro's pacification indicated that she repeatedly used her wealth and influence to break with Imperial dogma and placed the interests of her own family above the well-being of the Imperium. Like all Geratomran nobles, Missrine Huratal I was enormous, a mountain of flesh and fat cultivated over many standard years of feasting and lack of exercise. Once her mind was set upon treachery, Missrine Huratal I was implacable and ruthless. It was upon her direct orders that the legation of the Departmento Munitorum was assassinated in her own throne room. It was again under her orders that only solar minutes later, the capital's Adeptus Arbites precinct was flattened by artillery before its occupants were able to mobilise or learn of the Governatrice's change of allegiance. During the first years of the insurrection, she tasked her loyal Yellow Guard with tracking down and executing all remaining loyal servants of the Golden Throne, forcing them into hiding. Missrine Huratal I was killed inside her own palace in the bloody coup that would see Dostain Huratal, her cousin, claim the throne. She was ripped apart by the daemonic entity locally known as the Devil-in-the-Bush. *'Planetary Governor Dostain Huratal' - Cousin and nephew to Missrine Huratal I, Dostain Huratal was initially Heir the First to the throne of the Planetary Governor before being relegated to the rank of Heir the Second when the clone named Missrine Huratal II was created. An arrogant and envious man, Dostain always sought power as he was raised in the belief that one day he might rule over Geratomro. At the same time, the fat noble lacked both the courage and ambition to realise his dreams. Most of the members of the Geratomran court were surprised when he was the first Geratomran to openly suggest that Geratomro should deny the Deparmento Munitorum its due and cut all ties with the Imperium. Dostain Huratal had not even mustered the courage to confess his feelings to the woman he loved: his aunt and cousin, Pollein Huratal. Blessed with slighty above average intelligence, Dostain was aware of his own weaknesses, and frequently imagined what a more ruthless version of himself might have achieved -- the murder of his aunt Missrine Huratal I to safeguard his ascension to the throne, the rape or kidnapping of Pollein, a forced wedding while simultaneously entertaining several mistresses... All these repressed desires formed a pool which the Devil-in-the-Bush, a local daemonic entity, would tap to bring forth the ruin of the House of Magor. By promising wealth, military assistance and ultimately the possession of Pollein Huratal, the daemon lured Dostain Huratal into committing murder, disposing of both Missrines before taking the throne for himself and inviting the Chaos Space Marines of the Emperor's Children to Geratomro. Led by Chaos Lord Damien Trastoon, these reinforcements threatened to defeat the Imperial troops. Drugged into compliance, Dostain became a willing accomplice in the summoning of yet more daemons, but revolted at the sight of the horde of Daemonettes ready to invade his world. In his last and only act of courage, Dostain Huratal chose to betray his Chaos allies. Having snatched a Bolt Pistol from a fallen Chaos Space Marine, Dostain fired at the Devil-in-the-Bush, granting a Black Templars Emperor's Champion an opening to slay the foul entity. With its dying breath, the Devil-in-the-Bush flung one of its daggers at Dostain, killing him. The blood of the last scion of the House of Magor proved to be a sacrifice great enough to open a Warp Rift, but the rift was sealed before the daemons stepped through. *'Heir the First Missrine Huratal II' - Missrine Huratal II was an abomination, a clone created using proscribed technology of Planetary Governatrice Missrine Huratal I. She was the fruit of her mother's desperate gambit to hold on to power and prevent the ascension of one of her relatives. Many were those at court who considered her a monstrosity, but Missrine Huratal I insisted that her vat-grown "child" be treated as the legitimate heir to her throne. In truth her mere existence was a reason for sanction. At the time of the Geratomran Reconquest, Missrine Huratal II was only a small child, barely able to speak yet alone defend herself. The child was kidnapped from her crib by Dostain Huratal and killed before the eyes of her mother during the bloody night of Dostain's coup. *'Heir the Third Pollein Huratal' - Younger sister to Planetary Governatrice Missrine Huratal I, Pollein Huratal was always an unconventional child. Never having developed a taste for power and content to let others plot for power, Pollein was very different from the other Geratomran nobles. Where all the nobles of the court were quite obese as Geratomran tradition dictated, she had stayed slim and light, a beautiful women by wider Imperial standards. Where others preferred to stay inside, Pollein enjoyed wandering the hills and plains around Magor's Seat, often staying the entire day outside in the wilds. This eventually led to her discovery of a strange pillar where on the verge of night and day the Devil-in-the-Bush would manifest itself. Instead of being ensnared by the daemon outright, the cunning entity befriended the young woman, dancing with her and talking with her to alleviate her loneliness. The Devil-in-the-Bush's interest in Pollein Huratal was driven by the fact that she was a latent psyker -- and one of considerable power at that -- protected from being abducted by the Black Ships of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica by the actions of her older sister. Siphoning power from her to remain permanently in the Materium, the Devil-in-the-Bush used Pollein to corrupt Dostain Huratal into worshiping the Chaos God Slaanesh. After aiding her nephew in the brutal murder of Missrine Huratal II, Pollein became the bride of the newly crowned Planetary Governor Dostain Huratal. As the feast given in honour of her marriage degenerated into the vile practices beloved of the followers of Slaanesh, the Devil-in-the-Bush and its allies from the Emperor's Children secreted Pollein away, beginning to alter her body and mind to use it as a living Warp Rift from which the daemonic legions of Slaanesh would be able to launch their own invasion of Geratomro. While Pollein soul was lost during the foul ritual conducted by her daemonic seducer, her hideously transformed body was destroyed by a shot from the Shadowsword Lux Imperator of the 7th Paragonian Super Heavy Tank Company. *'Colonel Maden' - Colonel Maden of the Geratomran Planetary Defence Militia was the military commander of the city of Matua Superior. While he fought to the best of his capabilities, Maden was also sensible enough to seek peace with the invading Imperial forces rather than risk the full devastation of the city whose safety he had been entrusted with. Colonel Maden met his end bravely, officially repenting for his misdeeds and failures in the eyes of the Emperor in a public ceremony before being consigned to the pyre. As a testimony to the man's strength of will, he only began to scream a full 30 solar seconds after the pyre had been lit. *'Captain Oravan' - Captain Oravan was the commander of the company of Magorian Yellow Guard tasked with the protection of Planetary Governatrice Missrine Huratal I. However reluctant he was to take up arms against the Imperium, as a loyal servant of his mistress Captain Oravan nevertheless orchestrated the massacre of the Departmento Munitorum's envoys and the destruction of his world's Adeptus Arbites precinct. Captain Oravan was killed on the night of Dostain's coup, crushed alongside 20 of his men by the psychic powers of the Herald of Slaanesh summoned by Dostain and Pollein Huratal. Sources *''Shadowsword'' (Novel) by Guy Haley Category:G Category:Industrial World Category:Imperial planets Category:Planets Category:Imperium